`I am very emo' Innovative use of emo in everyday communication among Chinese youngsters
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
3-1-2024
Abstract
The contemporary expansion of English is becoming remarkably rapid and exceptionally global (Ostler, 2011). In present-day China, English has gained unprecedented popularity, fueled by the nation's current political and social development (Bolton & Graddol, 2012). There is a notable trend of bilingual education using English as a medium of instruction in Chinese schools (Wei, 2013). Therefore, an increasing number of Chinese are enthusiastic about learning and using English in communication. With the active participation of youths, `Internet English' has been used widely in social networking spaces. The practice of `English mixing' in various Chinese homegrown social networking sites has become the most remarkable intranational use of English in today's mainland China (Zhang, 2012). Interestingly, youngsters(1) often create novel meanings when using languages on the Internet as `teenagers are well-known for introducing innovations into language, and indeed are generally regarded as prime agents of language change' (Palacios Martinez, 2018: 363). Many linguistic studies have dealt with the mechanisms of the evolution of word meanings in past decades (Kachru, 1983; Qin & Guo, 2020; Tan, 2009; Yang, 2005). Much evidence indicates that meanings and usages of words are variable and composite, and may turn out differently depending on how words are used in contexts.
Keywords
English, subculture
Divisions
universiti
Publication Title
English Today
Volume
40
Issue
1
Publisher
Cambridge University Press
Publisher Location
EDINBURGH BLDG, SHAFTESBURY RD, CB2 8RU CAMBRIDGE, ENGLAND